


red ink

by shymoon



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop & Tattoo Parlor, Alternate Universe - No Powers, F/F, Florist Lena Luthor, Good Parent Lillian Luthor, Minor Samantha "Sam" Arias/Alex Danvers, Tattoo Artist Kara Danvers, lionel luthor is alive, the deo is danvers' ethereal oeuvre lmao
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-28
Updated: 2019-01-08
Packaged: 2019-09-13 01:56:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16883427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shymoon/pseuds/shymoon
Summary: “Well, Lena, were you not taught to not believe in stereotypes?” Kara tisked playfully. “Sorry to disappoint,” she said with a smile.“Oh, I wasn’t complaining,” Lena replied, gathering the confidence she usually carried.orThe one where a Lena has to get a tattoo because she lost a dumb bet.





	1. adventure

Friday was the day Lena was dreading the most. It wasn’t that she hated Fridays. Quite the contrary, she usually indulged in this day leading up to the wonderfulness that was the weekend. The problem with this Friday was the day she would get closer to getting her first tattoo.

 

“Lena!” A voice yelled from the entrance of the flower shop. Immediately, the raven haired woman knew who the voice belonged to. The intruder was of course one of her closest friends, Jack, aka one of the smartest people she’d gotten the pleasure to meet (though she would never admit it to his face).

 

“It’s time to go meet your tattoo artist!” Two more intruders this time, Sam and Jess, said at the same time. Unlike her three friends, Lena could not find it in her to reach that level of enthusiasm.

 

Although she had not wanted the tattoo at first and her friends insisted that she lost their bet so she had to get a tattoo, Lena knew that if she really was not up to that, her friends would understand. And for that she was thankful. Not just that she didn’t feel _that_ pressured to get inked, but that she never felt pressured by those three friends she had managed to make during her time at MIT.

 

The woman was never that great at making friends. Her last name did play part in that (not that many people liked being associated with the Luthor name; it was intimidating to be around such an influential and powerful family to say the least), but her reservedness did not help either. Her parents had tried to get her to befriend more people when she was younger by signing her up to countless activities to no avail. Lena just liked familiarity and well, newcomers did not fit that.

 

Nonetheless, a month into her stay at MIT, Lena got close to a bright woman by the name of Jess and a charming man by the name of Jack. If it weren’t for the fact that Jess sat next to her since both has several shared classes and that Jack offered Lena his notes when he noticed she had missed the mechanics class they had together, they probably might not have formed their iconic trio that would be broken by their upperclassman Samantha Arias, who was probably the most elusive to have graced the hallways of MIT.

 

How Sam even became friends with them, Lena still did not know. Either ways, all that mattered was that she had all three of them by her side now. Even though they were annoying at time, they made life a little less lonely.

 

“Guys, I have to stay a while longer at the shop. There might be a rush of customers since this is lunch hour for most. I think I’ll have to cancel my appointment,” Lena said as she messed with her planner, empty of orders for the rest of the day.

 

“Lena, this is just your in-person consultation. You could at least go see the woman before cancelling right?” Sam asked.

 

“Look, if you really don’t want the tattoo, you can tell your artist afterwards and well… you know pay a fuckton of money for the amount of time they spent on sketching and all,” said Jess with a smile.

 

“Come on, Luthor, you said you would do it. So, what’s stopping you now?” Jack asked as the two other friends started to look around the shop and picking at flowers Lena had arranged.

 

“Hey, you two,” she said and jogged to Jess and Sam, swatting their hands once she reached them, “no touching.”

 

Sam shrugged. “Answer the question, Lena, what’s wrong? You seemed okay with the idea yesterday. So why the change of heart?”

 

Jess approached Lena and put a hand on her shoulder. “If this is freaking you out, we get it. It’s just that backing out of things isn’t usually your thing.”

 

Shaking her head, Lena smiled slightly. “It’s just… isn’t the tattoo a bit ridiculous? Or pretentious?”

 

It was kind of pretentious. Not the tattoo, but the reason behind the tattoo. She was getting an amaryllis because it symbolized pride, determination and radiant beauty. Her friends had chosen that tattoo for her because it reminded them of her. Not only because she owned one of the most reputable flower shops in California, but also because having parents who pushed their kids towards science, it was a pretty bold move for Lena to go against her family and choose botanics instead. Although she did obtain a bachelor’s of science at MIT in biochemistry to please her family, Lena still felt like she didn’t live up to the expectations of her family.

 

“Although it started out as a joke, I honestly don’t think it’s a bad tattoo, from the pictures you showed me. Not only that, the tattoo has meaning to it. So, you don’t have to refer to it as ‘the tattoo I got because I’-”

 

“Hey, we said we would never speak about that.” Lena glared playfully at her friends. That bet is a moment she would gladly suppress to save herself from an eternity of embarrassment. The four friends all laughed as they exited the shop, Lena grabbing the portfolio she had made for her tattoo and locking the doors behind her, of course.

 

The tattoo parlor wasn’t far away from Lena’s flower shop so they decided to walk and take in the light March breeze instead of being trapped in a car. They faced a large neon sign on the window of the parlor that read _Danvers’ Ethereal Oeuvre_. Lena had to admit the name of the shop sounded a little obnoxious which is why she prefered to simply call it DEO instead.

 

Despite the off-putting name, the artists who worked there truly were talented. At least that was what Sam had said. She was the one who suggested the place after the group of friends settled that Lena had indeed lost the bet. She had gotten inked once at another place, but ever since getting the neck tattoo she sort of regretted, she had started to follow tattoo artists on Instagram. That was how she discovered DEO.

 

It was originally a tattoo parlor owned by the Danvers sisters, Alex and Kara (who was the artist who was going to ink Lena). Then, they added two more women to their team, Maggie and Lucy who were both professional piercers. So, DEO was now a tattoo and piercing parlor, and not a very small one either (in popularity that is). Its Instagram page had gathered a couple hundred thousand followers and each employee’s page had over a hundred thousand followers.

 

DEO was not only renowned for its talented artists. It was also known for the workers’ great work ethic and their friendliness too. It was a safe space for everyone.

 

That didn’t mean Lena wasn’t filled with nerves as she heard the small bell ring when she entered the shop. It was an average size open room where you could see four stations, various mirrors, all kinds of art work on the red walls, the cash register of course, a desk near the front, other decorative pieces (all red or golden) that brought out the best visual for the room, and a few couches near the two big open windows at the front of the shop. The dark hardwood floors, the one exposed dark red brick wall and the soft lighting helped in creating a cozy atmosphere that made Lena relax a little when her eyes landed on a woman who had a dark auburn, short asymmetric cut.

 

Even though the woman was barely even taller than her, her black leather jacket and well, all-black attire gave her an intimidating vibe. Not to mention, she kept looking at Lena with a raised eyebrow after she stopped talking to the young woman who was probably the receptionist. Jess pushed Lena forward so she would budge from her spot. Sam and Jack chuckled in the back.

 

“Uh, hi.” Thank the lords, Lena’s voice was stable. “I’m here for a consultation with Kara Danvers?”

 

The brunette at the desk smiled and nodded. “Lena, right?”

 

“Yes.” She nodded.

 

“I’ll go get her.” The woman in black pushed herself off the desk and headed towards the back of the parlor, pushing a black door open and disappearing behind it.

 

“That’s where the office is,” the brunette explained, probably having noticed her staring. Lena nodded in return and then played with the ring that matched her three friends’. They had gotten the set of rings after the three youngest of the group got their bachelor’s degree at MIT. “Your friends can go sit down where the couches are if they want,” she added.

 

“Thanks…” Sam said and waited for the woman to reveal her name.

 

“Nia,” the receptionist answered, her smile never leaving her lips.

 

A few seconds later, a tall woman with long blonde curls came out of the room the other woman had previously entered. The newcomer was grinning as she walked towards Lena and her friends. “So, who’s Lena?” She asked while scanning the room and adjusting her brown-rimmed glasses. Lena could’ve sworn Kara was nearly skipping her way to them. How could someone be as bubbly as Nia and this blonde woman? Lena definitely identified more with the woman in black.

 

Lena found herself raising her hand from her crossed arms. “That would be me.”

 

“Great, well you probably guessed that I’m Kara.” She said and held her hand out for Lena to shake. “I see you brought friends with you,” she added as they headed towards what Lena assumed to be her station.

 

“Yeah, is that okay?” Kara had said it was okay in her email.

 

“Of course! Like I said, if you feel nervous, I don’t mind 2 or 3 friends being here with you as long as they don’t bother us. Though, I thought you’d bring them over when we would actually tattoo you, not for the consultation. Gotta say that I didn’t picture you to be a nervous person.” Kara’s eyes twinkled while she spoke.

 

“I’m not.” Lena’s slight stutter betrayed her words. As she sat down opposite Kara, she could hear her friends behind her stifle their laughter. “Though if we’re on the topic of expectations, I certainly did not expect my tattoo artist to be the preppy type.”

 

“Let me guess, you imagined me to be more like my sister?” At Lena’s confusion, Kara nodded towards the back of the room. “The woman who was wearing all black. That’s my sister, Alex.”

 

“You could say something like that.”

 

“Well, Lena, were you not taught to not believe in stereotypes?” Kara tisked playfully. “Sorry to disappoint,” she said with a smile.

 

“Oh, I wasn’t complaining,” Lena replied, gathering the confidence she usually carried. That seemed to give the upper hand to Lena as Kara simply bit her lip and sat down opposite her.

 

She waited for Lena to lay out all the visuals she had gathered to help Kara design her tattoo so they could further discuss the details of her future ink. They had already gone over most of it over their chain of emails. The consultation was mostly just to meet face to face and make sure everything was good before Kara created the final piece.

 

Kara had taken out a sketchbook and a pencil to sketch some images out just as examples to check with Lena. She would then turn the sketch over and push it towards Lena. Occasionally, their hands would brush which sent something through Lena’s body.

 

The whole time, all Lena could focus on was the way the tattoo artist’s arm would flex and relax as she drew out the flower. Then, her eyes would linger down to the slender fingers pressing against the lead pencil. _Is it weird to find fingers pretty?_

 

The consultation didn’t last long. Less than fifteen minutes after meeting in person, they had covered everything for Kara to properly create Lena’s tattoo. They went over how much time, approximately, it would take to complete the tattoo and how much it would cost before booking the appointment for the actual tattoo.

 

“Alright, any last questions?” Kara asked after Lena paid the deposit.

 

Lena shook her head. “All good, here.”

 

“Okay, well see you in a week. I should have the art done two days before your actual appointment though. So, you could come in and make sure everything’s fine then.”

 

So, that was what Lena did a few days following her consultation. In all honesty, she didn’t think she’d have to go in to verify the drawing was to her taste. Lena had a feeling Kara and her were on the same page and she trusted the artist fully to ink her. Still, there was a pull that made Lena want to see Kara again. After all, she probably wouldn’t be able to see the blonde woman again after she had finished her tattoo, with the exception of the one appointment after the tattoo had finished healing so Kara could take a picture of the ink to share on her page.

 

The only way she would be able to see her again would be if they crossed each other outside, since both of their shops were located on the same street. Though, Lena knew they had been working on the same street for a while now and never in the past had they bumped into each other. It was improbable for that to happen in the future.


	2. joy

The big day had finally come. No, not her wedding. It was the day she was getting her first tattoo. After dealing with all the preparations, Lena Luthor’s skin was going to be inked forever. She was getting herself all freaked out for no reason. Yes, a tattoo is permanent, but it’s not such a big deal. Plus, her artist was Kara. She trusted her and they both got along great.

 

_ Then why the fuck are you freaking out? _

 

Lena groaned and almost went for a bottle of wine again. Sure, it was barely even 11, but as people say, ‘it’s gotta be happy hour somewhere on Earth.’ She remembered that she shouldn’t be intoxicated when she got her tattoo though, so she stayed away from alcohol. Instead, she gulped down what seemed like to be her hundredth glass of water that day.

 

She had surprisingly been capable of sleeping through seven hours before her eyelids decided they couldn’t stay shut anymore at 7 AM. For the past three hours, Lena went through her usual morning routine and then decided to work on some big orders the shop had received from around the globe.

 

While her mind was mostly focused on work, it always wandered back to what was going to happen later that afternoon. Lena was never scared of anything. She got nervous, yes, but never scared. What she was feeling at the moment was very different from the nerves she usually got. It was borderline fear.

 

Fear of what? She had absolutely no clue. She could cancel. No, she couldn’t. Well, yes, she could. If she did, she would have to pay an insane amount of money for cancelling so late. It’s not like that would be a problem, given she was a Luthor. _ Kara would be disappointed though, wouldn’t she? _ …  _ Since when did that matter? _ It didn’t.

 

Lena shook that thought away and tried her best to distract herself some more. Thankfully, someone knocked at her door. She got off her black leather couch and opened the door to Jack who stood there, grinning and holding a bag of takeout. “Is it too early for lunch?” He asked.

 

She welcomed him in her apartment. She had breakfast quite early so eating now wasn’t that much earlier than she had planned. “So, you excited to see Kara again?”

 

Lena quirked an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

 

“I mean last time we were there together, you two just flirted shamelessly in front of Sam, Jess and I.” He snickered and took a bite of his burrito.

 

“I-I did not.”

 

“Okay.” He said, not at all believing a word coming out of Lena’s mouth.

 

Now that she thought about, Jack sort of had a point. She hadn’t realized at the time, though. Everything felt natural and free-flowing during that first encounter. She didn’t have to think about what to say or how to act.

 

Maybe she was looking forward to seeing Kara again. Lena would never admit that to Jack. He would never stop teasing her about it if she did. When Lena’s eyes landed on the tall blonde a few hours later, her irregular heartbeat confirmed that she was in fact not indifferent to meeting her tattoo artist again.

 

Kara was sitting on a stool near the reception desk, Nia’s desk. She was talking with a lot of enthusiasm to someone Lena recognized as Alex as well as Nia and a short woman with dark locks. She had a similar wardrobe to Alex, with the leather jacket, black jeans and combat boots. The new face was probably one of the piercers at the shop.

 

The four of them seemed to be in a very lively conversation, so Lena didn’t quite know how to intervene. The bell at the door didn’t even alarm them. The stranger was telling a story that had Alex, Nia and Kara laughing. It was strange to see Alex laugh like this. It was so different from the person she first saw the other week. As for Kara, she was bending so far backwards, Lena was afraid her back would give in at any moment.

 

By her side, Jack stood there and watched her squirm a bit. It was rare for him to see her not know what to do. This scene was definitely making his day. “Well, aren’t you going to let them know you’re here?” He whispered and chuckled.

 

The first one who noticed the newcomers was Kara. The moment those blues eyes locked in on green ones, Kara smiled. “Lena, hey, is it 1 already?” Kara stood up and approached her.

 

“Not quite, I just figured better be early than late,” she replied.

 

“Alright well, we could start early in that case. I don’t have anything planned for the last few minutes until the clock strikes 1 anyways.” Kara went over to her station, waiting for Lena to follow her.

 

“Lena? The one who brought three friends for her consultation?” The woman with dark locks asked.

 

“That would be me, yes.” Lena nodded and felt her cheeks heat up. She wasn’t even the one who had asked all her friends to accompany her. Sam was the one who decided that three of them would go with her to all her tattoo appointments.

 

“I see that you’ve only brought one person today. Less nervous about the tattoo than the consultation?”

 

“I know what I’m getting into. What should I be nervous about?” Lena shrugged. The answer to that question was a million things, as she had experienced back home.

 

The woman nodded and chuckled. “You better make her a regular customer, Kara. I like her.” She told Kara and then extended her hand towards Lena. “I’m Maggie by the way.”

 

“Nice to meet you. Oh and that’s Jack.” She motioned to her friend. “Felt like I had to introduce him since I didn’t introduce any of them last time.”

 

“You  _ did _ have quite a crowd so I’m not sure I would’ve remembered their names,” Kara said as she started to take out her equipment.

 

“You might want to start remembering them though. They’re coming later and I’m gonna have to head back to work.” Jack explained as he sat down on one of the couches like he did last time.

 

“Sam, the tall one, had to go pick up her daughter so she’ll be joining us later. And Jess, the short one, had to go to work, but she’ll be here later since she finishes early on Fridays,” Lena explained.

 

“Would any of them mind bringing us lunch?” Alex joked and looked down at her phone. “Seriously, where is Lucy? She was supposed to be back with lunch like at least thirty minutes ago.”

 

As if on cue, Jess walked in the parlor with another woman by her side. Lena would later learn that she was the last of the DEO quartet, Lucy Lane. Jack left a few moments after Lena was prepped for the tattoo and in came in Sam. “Just dropped off Ruby at her friend’s for her sleepover, so I’m all yours, Luthor,” she said as she waltzed in. “Oh, we have a bigger crowd this time.” That, they did.

 

Lena was sitting in the navy blue leather chair while having her right arm extended for Kara to ink in the red flower on the inside of her wrist. In the meantime, Alex, Maggie, Jess, Nia and Lucy were discussing near the receptionist’s desk. Obviously, Sam had to go towards the group of women instead of Lena. The latter had a few hypotheses behind her friend ditching her.

 

She heard all about the rumours swirling around about the women of DEO being queer and single. She also knew that Sam was a single mom who hadn’t had someone by her side in a long time. All the women from DEO had given a good first impression so Lena wasn’t opposed to any of them getting close to Sam, yet. And from the way the tall brunette was looking at one particular tattoo artist, she was definitely not opposed to getting close to them either.

 

“Glad to see that both my friends ditched me even though they promised they’d help me tough through the pain of my first tattoo,” Lena commented and then clenched her jaw when the sensation of the needle was starting to become a little too much.

 

“Sorry, it’s just that trying to help Alex with her birthday is a little more fun than having you clamp down on our hands.” Jess countered but headed towards Lena nonetheless.

 

“Help?” Kara asked. She had completely blocked out the conversation happening between the other women in the room while tattooing Lena. All her focus was on Lena and Lena’s wrist. It always like this when she was with her client. She never wanted to give a client a messy tattoo, so she put all her attention and energy on whoever was sitting (or laying) on her chair. People came to her because they had to at least have some sort of trust in her to provide them with a work of art and she would definitely step up to not let them down. “I thought you had everything worked out for your birthday party?” Kara stopped for a moment, seeing that Lena needed a short break.

 

“She did until the flower place cancelled on us,” said Lucy. “They called me this morning and I went in to try and figure something with no luck, something about them having a ‘super big contract’ on the same day.”

 

“I already told you that I didn’t need and still don’t need flowers for my birthday. It’s way too over the top for me.” Alex disputed.

 

“You don’t  _ need _ it, but you  _ should _ . It’s your big three-oh! Come on, Danvers, it’s the one night you can go all out and be ridiculous,” Maggie argued. “We just need to find another florist who will deliver for your birthday.”

 

“What if I told you that you might not need to search and that you’ve already found your florist?” Sam asked and looked at Lena. Of course Sam would try to help.

 

“When’s your birthday?” Lena chimed in.

 

“In about three weeks,” Alex answered. “Why though? Do you guys know any florists or something?”

 

“Something like that, yes.” Sam nodded. “How does L-Bloom sound?”

 

Everyone’s eyes grew wide (with the exception of Jess and Lena). Lucy almost choked on air. “L-Bloom?! Listen, I know DEO isn’t a small parlor, but we aren’t filthy rich,” she said and chuckled. “I don’t even think they would consider our order. I heard they ask big orders to be sent at least a month in advance for big occasions so they can prepare.”

 

“You heard correctly,” said Lena. “I wouldn’t mind taking in this order now though. We would still have three weeks to get everything ready and you could choose existing flower arrangements instead of creating new ones for the event.”

 

Nobody seemed to be understanding what Lena was talking about. Then, they heard Nia flip through pages of her planner and then snap her fingers when she stopped on one particular page. “Wait! You’re Lena Luthor? As in owner of L-Bloom Lena Luthor?!” She looked at Lena incredulously. Nia hadn’t paid much attention to the name when she first saw it in her planner. It did sound familiar, but she figured it was maybe because a celebrity had a similar name.

 

“I don’t usually introduce myself like that, but that would be correct.” Lena chuckled and winced a little when Kara had started to get back to work on her wrist.

 

“As much as we would appreciate the gesture, we wouldn’t be able to afford it.” Maggie explained and smiled politely.

 

“Oh, as if I would ever dare charge you guys like I charge my clients.” Lena shook her head. “This would be on the house.”

 

Kara stopped abruptly. “Lena, I’ve seen what Maggie and Lucy are planning to get Alex. This isn’t just some small flower arrangement to put on a few tables or one small bouquet. This would cost way too much.”

 

“Well, you can’t refuse a gift.” Lena raised an eyebrow.

 

“That would be rude.” Jess added with a teasing smile, knowing her best friend wasn’t going to back down now. When Lena had her mind set on something, it was hard for her to bend.

 

“What would be rude is if we were to accept this offer.” Lucy said.

 

“Look, I don’t know exactly what Lucy and Maggie have in mind. All I know is that it’s big and if they think it’s gonna cost a lot, I don’t think I can accept it.” Alex was the one to step in.

 

“Just think of it as a birthday present, alright? A birthday present  _ and _ a thank you for being such good company to a woman who had to bring her  _ three _ friends here just to get a tattoo the size of a clementine.” Lena really wasn’t going to back down. Alex and Lena ended up having an unannounced staring contest which ended with the former losing.

 

“Fine, but I’m only agreeing if you guys come to my birthday.” Alex sighed at her loss.

 

“Anything that make you feel less guilty.” Sam winked.

 

And that was how Lena found herself in a few meetings with Lucy and Maggie the week following her first tattoo being completed, discussing what they wanted for Alex’s 30th birthday. Kara wasn’t lying when she said they planned something big.

 

Alex’s birthday was going to be on the second floor of a club. The big room was going to be transformed into a dance floor, but they would also have an area with tables where guests would be able to eat or simply talk. There would also be a “VIP” section where Alex, Kara, Lucy, Maggie and Nia would be as well as Lena and her three friends.

 

They wanted flower arrangements on tables for decor, not something too big or flashy. “It should be something you notice, but doesn’t distract you, you know?” Maggie tried to explain. Lena nodded and took out the binder for small flower arrangements the shop. Up until then, everything they were asking for was nothing out of the norm. It was when the pair brought up something about a giant 30 made out of flowers being near the entrance that Lena finally understood what Kara had been talking about.

 

“If it can’t be done…” Maggie started, but Lena shook her head.

 

“No, it can. I can gather a team to figure something out and we’ll have the design ready by the end of the week and have the whole thing done by the end of next week,” Lena assured them with a wave of the hand.

 

And she did. The week leading up to Alex’s birthday, Lena headed to the venue to make sure the flowers had all been delivered. “Lena!” Kara was busy telling people where to put the banner saying ‘happy birthday alex!’ when Lena walked in. “What are you doing here? Not that I mind you being here…” The blonde woman frowned slightly and looked down, pink starting to colour her cheeks.

 

“Just came to make sure everything’s in order for tomorrow,” Lena answered and looked around, satisfied when she saw the flowers being placed on the tables.

 

“I didn’t know you checked that out in person.”

 

“I don’t, not in person anyways. I have someone check for me, but I figured I could do the job this time seeing as I would also get the chance to see my favourite pair of tattoo artists and thank one of them for the tattoo which is healing up great.” Lena looked down at her wrist and smiled.

 

“Well, I’m glad you like it. Gotta say that after you offered to pay for what I can only imagine as hundreds of dollars worth of flowers for my sister, it served as an incentive to not fuck up your tattoo,” Kara said and nudged Lena’s arm with her elbow.

 

“Nonsense, I’ve seen your art, Danvers. I’m sure you would’ve done a good job whether I tried to bribe you or not.”

 

“So it was a bribe!” A grin appeared on Kara’s face as she quickly turn towards Lena instead of simply standing next to her. “I knew it couldn’t simply be a simple favor to thank me for the tattoo or for ‘being good company’.”

 

Lena shrugged. “Can a woman not kill two birds with one stone?”

 

Kara shook her head and snickered, but then sobered up in an instant. “Seriously though, thank you for all this. We wanted to make this birthday an  _ extravagant _ event for Alex because she’s been freaking out about turning 30 so the flowers are a bit of a joke to help her cope with ‘getting old’. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to thank you enough.”

 

“Glad I’m able to help someone.” Lena nodded. “And I’m sure a few drinks at the party tomorrow will be enough to pay off your debt.” It was then that her phone started to buzz. “Looks like I need to head back to the shop. I hope this isn’t the last time we talk.”

 

Kara had a glimmer in her eye. “I hope so too. See you tomorrow, Lena.”

 

The next day was uneventful for the most part until Lena started to get ready for her Saturday night. Her group of friends had all agreed they’d meet at her apartment to leave together since her place was the closest to the venue (and Lena had lost to fourway game of rock-paper-scissors so she was going to be the group’s designated driver for the night). Jess was the first one to arrive, all glammed up in a sheer white chiffon blouse with a white top under and the whole thing tucked in a sleek short black skirt.

 

Jess didn’t stop herself from raising her eyebrow at Lena’s choice of outfit. She was wearing a short red satin dress. There wasn’t a plunging neckline, unlike what her friends had thought Lena would’ve chosen, but Lena didn’t exactly need that to draw people’s attention to her, not with the size of her breasts anyways. “Save it, Jess.” Lena put her hand up to stop her friend before she commented on her outfit.

 

“I was just gonna say that you look hot.” Jess put her hands up this time.

 

The short woman may have kept her mouth shut while the pair waited for the other half of the quartet, but the moment Sam arrived, she and Jess could not stop teasing her. “Oh thank God, I was dying here!” Jess groaned when she recognized the brunette at the door in a black jumpsuit.

 

“Were you dying because you kept staring at Lena’s boobs? Jesus, is it me or do they seem bigger in this dress?” Sam pushed past Lena, barely greeting her before heading towards Jess.

 

“Me? Look at you! You’re the one who has her boobs almost on display, Arias,” Lena countered as she closed the door. To be fair, she did have a point. The neckline of Sam’s jumpsuit did dip quite low.

 

Let Jack be the one to comment on both Sam and Lena dressing up to impress the Danvers sisters. “Looks like Jess and I are the only ones not getting laid tonight,” said Jack as he straightened his grey suit jacket which matched his pants.

 

Sam gaped at Jack. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Lena here is obviously trying to impress Kara. I mean I think we’ve all noticed how you behave around her. Me, on the other hand-”

 

“Please,” Jess interrupted Sam before she could splutter some nonsense. “As if we can’t tell how you’ve been looking at Alex. Not to mention you’re the one who brought up Lena’s shop to help her out.”

 

The four continued to bicker about the two women who were currently interested in the Danvers sisters the whole drive to the club. It was mostly just Jack and Jess pretending not to hear Lena and Sam protesting and then the former teasing them about being thirsty. They agreed to drop it when they arrived at the club, sparing Sam and Lena at least a bit of embarrassment.

 

“If either of you bring up our conversation later, I will murder you.” Sam glared at her friends.

 

“Because you would totally risk going to jail when you have a daughter.” Jack scoffed as he helped her out of Lena’s black BMW.

 

“I could help her get a good lawyer,” Lena said as she locked the doors to her car and put the keys in her purse.

 

“And you think I won’t get a better lawyer to defend our dead buddy?” Jess feigned shock.

 

The four started to laugh and didn’t have to walk long before arriving in front of the club. Alex had told the group that there was a parking lot where she had reserved a few spots, but it was a few streets away. Lena figured her friends would be getting quite wasted that night and she was not about to drag three drunk people (maybe two if Sam got lucky) down a few streets in downtown National City at night. So, she decided to park right next to the club. It costed way too much for parking, but it was just for the night.

 

There was a line at the club, but they had been informed that they could simply cut the line since Alex had added them to her guest list. Sam was the one to give the bouncer their names and Lena could’ve sworn he was holding back a smile. Strange.

 

Inside the club, Alex and Kara were obviously already there, but while the eldest Danvers sister was busy greeting the guests, Kara had opted for sitting at their booth and eat whatever was brought to their table. Then, she saw them, the four of them. Sam had been the first one to walk in. Jack followed, then it was Jess and finally Lena stepped in.

 

Sam stood on the far left, looking in the distance as if searching for something... or someone. Jack stood next to her as he arranged the cuffs of his shirt. Jess was fixing her hair and her skirt between Jack and Lena. Then, there was Lena (who seemed to have missed out on her group of friends’ black and white palette) in that fitting red dress who stood on the far right and looking around the club like Sam had.

 

If there was a word to describe the group of friends walking in the club, it would be expensive. Not rich,  _ expensive _ . Like if you touched them or even dared to  _ breathe _ near them, they would be dirtying the four friends. Kara sat at the booth, a stray of hors d’oeuvres being presented to her as she stared at the new group that had just entered the club. It seemed as she wasn’t the only one who had noticed their presence.

 

Several pair of eyes had glued themselves on the group of friends and some whispering ensued. Kara couldn’t hear what Jess was telling Lena in her ear, but then their eyes and nothing really mattered in that moment. Kara’s body should not be reacting the way it was to seeing Lena, but it was. From that point on, it was all racing heart, sweaty palms and stuttering was probably going to be added once Lena reached her.

 

Of course Kara had found Lena attractive before seeing her arrive at the party. How could she not? The moment she laid her eyes on the woman in the red dress, she knew she was in trouble. She was in trouble because tattooing Lena and focusing on that rather than ogling at her client would become a challenge. To this day, Kara wondered how she managed to do it. So did the rest of the DEO women, as they made sure to mention after both of Lena’s visits.

 

Alex was the one who mentioned it first after Lena’s consultation was done. Nia had told her about the flirting apparently and well, Kara really had no chance to escape her sister pestering her about a certain green-eyed beauty. Although she claimed she simply got along well with Lena, Kara had to concede that she did in fact think her latest customer was breathtakingly beautiful. Needless to say, the news spread to Maggie and Lucy pretty quickly and the duo joined in teasing Kara afterwards.

 

If Lena was breathtakingly beautiful before, Kara was pretty sure she would die if she were to approach her during the party. And that seemed to be right now. The four friends all walked toward the elevated booth where Kara sat. The blonde woman stood up and asked the guard to detach the red velour rope barriers and let the four guests in the big booth.

 

“Hey!” Kara greeted the guests with a grin and a quick hug. “I’m glad you guys could make it. I’m not really sure where Alex is, but the booth is for all of us so you guys can settle here while I search for Alex. I think Nia is with Alex and Maggie and Lucy are running late, but they’ll be here soon,” she explained as she got up.

 

As Kara predicted, Lucy and Maggie arrived together a few minutes later and both seemed already more than a little intoxicated. “Don’t worry!” Maggie yelled and put one arm around Nia. “We took a cab here.”

 

“Poor cab driver had to smell your alcohol breath.” Nia grimaced as she pushed Maggie off her.

 

On her side, Lucy just smiled lazily with her eyes closed as she rested her head on Maggie’s shoulder. Naturally, those two didn’t stay for long. They did get to say a quick ‘hello’ (although slurring the word) to two more friends. “James is a photographer and he owns a studio across the tattoo parlor,” Kara informed Lena and then turned to the second man. “That’s Winn Schott. He’s the one who helps us manage the shop’s website and James’ photography website.”

 

“Are you the Lena who brought friends in for the consultation?” James’ question earned himself a slap on the shoulder from Kara and a chuckle from Winn.

 

“Don’t mind him, I’m sure I would’ve done the same thing,” Winn said and extended his hand out which Lena shook gladly.

 

Winn and James would’ve stayed longer to watch Lucy and Maggie start drunkenly sing to whatever song was being played by the DJ, but James got a phone call from one of their interns who was currently still working at the studio. “It seems like Mike has gotten himself into some trouble,” James sighed as he put his phone away. “Happy birthday again, Alex,” he and Winn both said before they left the party.

 

As Maggie attempted to sing the remix of a 90’s song the DJ had put on, Lucy started to tug at her suit jacket. “Home,” she kept repeating slowly with her eyes closed.

 

“Okay, I think that’s enough for the night,” Nia said as she stood up. “I’ll drive them home before one of them passes out here.” She went to hug Alex one last time. “See you Monday, boss. And happy birthday.” The receptionist smiled and then sighed when she saw the mess that was Lucy passing out on Maggie’s shoulder.

 

“I’ll help you bring them to your car.” Jess took pity on the tall woman staring at both drunk women. Nia thanked her and the pair started to head out.

 

Just as they left, the bouncer Lena had seen when they first entered the club. He approached Alex and wished her ‘happy birthday’. “J’onn this is-” Alex started, but was interrupted quickly.

 

“Oh, I’ve already met them at the door,” he said. “I was scared that they wouldn’t be able to find you for a moment there, but I figured they’d be smart enough to find their way to you guys.”

 

“Why were you scared we wouldn’t find them?” Jack asked, a little intrigued.

 

J’onn hesitated a bit, but ultimately decided to lay it all out on them. “You don’t seem like frequent customers of this club. You seem to be more the type to go to more… refined places?”

 

He gestured at their outfits, his words adding to what Kara had thought when they first walked in. They look expensive. Sure, Kara was wearing a navy blue suit and the other guests in the club were all wearing something semi-formal or formal. With that being said, nobody had gone to the extent of looking like they were walking down a runway, a gala or a red carpet. They didn’t look overdressed, but they definitely looked like the best dressed there.

 

“Well,  _ someone _ has to look fancy. I certainly don’t mind watching some of the richest young adults of National City walk around in their expensive wardrobe at my birthday party.” Alex shrugged and started to look at Sam sitting next to her. “Especially not when they all look gorgeous as hell.” She was absolutely starting to slur her words now.

 

“Right,” J’onn said and chuckled. “I’ll let you enjoy the rest of the night then. Happy birthday and see you ladies next time.”

 

After Jess came back, she assured Kara that they brought Lucy and Maggie safely to Nia’s car and that she would text them once she got home (which she did about thirty minutes later). The rest of the night mostly consisted of Sam ordering rounds of shot for everyone, Jack, Jess and Alex drinking their way to death, Lena disapproving of her friends’ behavior (and apologizing for them to Kara), Sam saying her thanks out loud for the babysitter who agreed to watch Ruby for the night, and Kara making sure nobody got hurt.

 

At some point, most of their booth were on the dance floor. Sam was the one who dragged Alex there in the first place. “You may not be 17, but you can still be the dancing queen!” She said enthusiastically. Jack and Jess joined soon after and then there was only Kara and Lena at the booth.

 

“We should stay here and make sure nobody spikes somebody’s drink, right?” Kara looked at Lena as she tapped her fingers on the table to the beat of the music.

 

“Kara, there’s a guard in front of the booth.” Lena’s lips twitched. “If you want to go dance, you can go.”

 

“But then you’ll be alone…” Kara looked down for a moment and then stared into Lena’s green eyes. “Unless you come with me.”

 

“Are you asking me for a dance, Kara Danvers?” Lena tilted her head.

 

“Something like that.” Kara shrugged and held her hand out with accompanied by a warm smile.

 

“Well, if you’re  _ asking _ , how can I say no?” Lena drawled, putting her hand in Kara’s.

 

So, Kara dragged Lena to the dance floor where dozens of sweaty bodies were pressing one another. Still, the two found a way to not get separated by the crowd of people. Lena wasn’t really a dancer, but in a club, it wasn’t really dancing. It was more like jumping up and down, bouncing to the beat of the music or grinding on someone.

 

They started out with just jumping. After all, they weren’t  _ that _ close yet. At some point, some guy, one of Alex’s old college classmate probably, tried to cut in between Kara and Lena. Key word: tried. Kara noticed that Lena was avoiding his gaze and looking for Kara slowly disappearing behind him, so she grabbed Lena’s hand before it was too late and pulled her away. “My savior,” Lena said in Kara’s ear, which earned herself a blush from Kara.

 

As the night progressed, the songs started to change from party songs to more sensual ones. The dance floor turned into pretty much just people grinding on each other. Kara and Lena didn’t get to that point, but Lena did start to turn around to have her back to Kara and she made sure that to let Kara know she didn’t mind being touched by her. If she had turned around to face Kara, Lena would have seen her gulp when her hands were guided onto Lena’s hips and if it wasn’t as hot already, she definitely would’ve felt how hot Kara’s cheeks were getting.

 

Eventually, Lena did turn back around. She hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol, but somehow, she felt drunk. There was something about the way Kara was looking at her, the way their bodies were moving together that made Lena’s head spin. And then when Kara’s eyes would drop down just slightly, maybe landing on Lena’s lips. God, everything felt great.

 

The fun had to end though. They all stayed until the owner of the club told them they were closing. By that point, they were all pretty hammered, excluding Kara and Lena. As promised, Lena was going to drive her friends back to her apartment, but it was easier said than done. Getting Jack and Jess to walk properly was somewhat easy. The pair just kept giggling and bumping into each other, then apologizing, as Lena pulled them to her car.

 

“Shotgun!” Jess yelled. She struggled a little to open the door, but once she got it open, she hurried and sat down before Jack got there. It seemed like she was racing against nobody though, as Jack was still at the entrance of the club by the time she was in the car.

 

“Wait!” He yelled and stumbled his way to the car.

 

“Jack, the car isn’t going anywhere. I’m driving remember?” Lena pulled Jack back up when she saw him starting to get down on his knees like actors did in dramatic movie scenes when they watched the love of their life walk away.

 

When he finally got up, he started to head to the backseat, but before he did, Sam jumped in the backseat and pulled Alex with her. That, of course, caused Alex to bump her head since she didn’t have enough time to duck before getting in. Kara rushed to her sister who didn’t seem to have noticed anything.

 

“Okay, Alex, we really need you to get up so that Lena can drive her friends home,” Kara said as she tried to pull her sister back up. Sam was pulling her back though and Alex was just dead weight passed out. The younger Danvers sister groaned. “How is Sam this strong?!”

 

The scene was honestly very funny, even though Lena knew this was a serious situation. “Listen, how about I just drive your sister back to her place? And you could drive Jack back to mine before driving back to yours? I live near here and I can tell the doorman to help you bring them up to my apartment,” Lena offered with a gentle smile.

 

“Alex lives across town.” Kara bit her lip as she tried to think of another solution.

 

“Where is your place?”

 

“Near Alex’s…”

 

“Alright…” Lena said and ran her hand through her thick dark hair. “Well, how about you guys stay at my place for the night then? My friends were going to crash at my place anyways. I don’t see how two more people would cause me more trouble, especially when one of them isn’t flat out drunk.”

 

Usually, Kara would’ve argued, but she was just exhausted and heading to bed sooner than later sounded like a good idea. So, after they got Alex and Sam to sit properly and then they helped Jack get into the passenger seat of Kara’s car which was thankfully parked next to the club as well (“I didn’t know if we were gonna run out of space for guests in the parking lot,” Kara explained).

 

When they arrived at the apartment complex, Jess had started to gain a bit of her senses and was able to walk by her own, unlike Jack, Sam and Alex. She wasn’t quite sober yet, but she was able to help Sam walk to the elevator while Lena held up Jack and Kara held up her sister.

 

“Not the penthouse?” Kara asked once she noticed Lena hadn’t pressed the button for the top floor.

 

“Did you peg me as  _ that _ pretentious?” Lena asked smirking only slightly.

 

“I like women who are a little pretentious,” she said and the alcohol in her system might’ve boosted her confidence back to the level it was in the tattoo shop because in that moment, even a tipsy and tired Jess could tell Kara had a bit of smugness in her voice. Speaking of Jess, there was nothing more than wanting to down another drink so she wouldn’t have to hear this conversation.

 

Thankfully for her, the elevator ride didn’t last long and neither did the walk down the hallway to Lena’s apartment. Before getting prepared for the party, Lena had already placed down sleeping mats and everything necessary for when she eventually came back with her friends. So, all she had to do when they arrived was dump them on the ground really (with care of course, she wasn’t a monster).

 

“Oh, Jack isn’t gonna sleep in your bed?” Kara asked when she noticed Lena putting him down on one of the sleeping bags.

 

“God no. I mean if any of my friends were going to get to sleep in my bed because they were drunk, it would be Jess, the least annoying of the three,” Lena answered and then glared playfully at said friend. “You aren’t getting the bed tonight, though. Kara and Alex will.” Her attention then went back to the blonde. “Why would he get the bed anyways?”

 

“Because…” Kara started, but she didn’t know if she wanted to finish that sentence.

 

“If you think they’re dating, you’re wrong,” Jess said as she laid down on the couch and almost went to sleep the moment her head touched the cushion.

 

Lena looked at Jess and then at Kara. “You thought we were dating?” She couldn’t stop herself from laughing.

 

“I mean I thought you might’ve been.” Kara felt her cheeks heating up, her bravado from earlier gone again. Had the temperature in the room gone up?

 

“And you still allowed yourself to behave the way you did at the club thinking I might’ve been in a relationship?” Lena raised that damn eyebrow of hers. “My, my, we’ve got a scandalous one here.” Kara didn’t have time to reply as Alex, who was still relying fully on Kara’s arm to keep her partly standing up, stirred in her sleep.

 

They both noticed so Lena started to guide them to her room. “I can lend you some clothes for the night. Though the Danvers sisters in suits are truly a beautiful sight, especially you, I’m assuming sleeping in that isn’t very comfortable.” Lena went towards her drawer. Most of her wardrobe consisted of things that fit the chic style, but she did own a few pairs of sweatpants and t-shirts that were all oversized, meaning they could fit the taller Danvers sister well.

 

“Are you sure you don’t want to take your bed? I mean, the mats you laid out will be fine, really. I mean Alex is sleeping in my arm, I doubt she’d mind the floor and I certainly don’t mind.”

 

Lena put one hand on Kara’s arm and pressed gently. “It’s fine. Trust me, if it weren’t, I wouldn’t even have offered.”

 

With that, Lena left the room and made sure her friends were all sleeping well so that she could finally get ready to go to sleep. That was until she remembered she had forgotten to get her PJs in her bedroom. She groaned quietly and left the bathroom to grab her missing item.

 

As she was about to knock on her bedroom door, she noticed the door was left slightly ajar, allowing Lena to catch a glimpse of Kara’s naked back. She hadn’t meant to invade Kara’s privacy, but now, Lena had a hard time keeping her eyes off the tattoo artist’s back. Partly because she never knew she could find backs  _ sexy _ , but also because she never knew Kara had a tattoo that spanned about half the length of her back, which made her back even more attractive, if that was even possible.

 

It seemed to be the solar system that was inked on her back. There was the Sun at the top, then the planets ranked by distance to the Sun and there was a vertical line that ran through every planet as well as the Sun, like it was shish kebab. There was also a hand above the Sun, near her neck. It was holding the line going through everything, as if it were spinning it all. The tattoo was beautiful.

 

Lena hadn’t thought about it before, but she had no idea that Kara had tattoos. Every time they had met, she had worn long sleeves, sweaters, or a suit jacket that covered her arms. And she had never seen the skin of her legs either. The idea of seeing Kara’s body full of tattoos had her heart beating at an unsteady pace and her breathing pattern to get all messed up.

 

_ Stop thinking about her like that, you creepy perv _ .

 

It took a moment for Lena to stop herself from looking, but eventually, she did. She pushed herself against the wall next to her door to gather herself quickly before she remembered why she had just seen Kara’s back. Her PJs, right.

 

Lena sighed. She was going to need a cold shower before going to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you were wondering what they wore, i made an [album](https://imgur.com/a/KAsIDuf) with their outfits (lena, sam, jack, jess and kara). i'll also add other pictures as the fic progresses. hope you liked this chapter!
> 
> come freak out about supercorp with me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/NOWTHISISHILLS) or [tumblr](https://lotzofdamnvers.tumblr.com/)


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